Rail-fastener.



F. E. SPENCER.

RAIL FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED MAR. 5, 1913.

1,086,41 1.. Patented Feb; 10, 1914.

UNITED STATES FRANK E. SPENCER, 0F THORNBURG, PENNSYLVANIA.

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Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 10, 1914..

' Application filed March 5, 1913. Serial No. 752,158.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK E. SPENCER, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Thornburg, in the count of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, ave invented a new and useful Improvement in Rail- Fasteners; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description thereof.

My invention relates to rail fasteners for securing railway rails to the track ties and is particularly concerned with a device of this character for use with metal ties.

The invention has for its object the provision of means whereby the rail may be readily and quickly secured to the tie and removed therefrom with equal facility.

It has further for its object the provision of a clip adapted to accommodate rails having bases of different widths, and a clip having means whereby by a single operation the rail may be securely clamped in place on the tie and the clip may be firmly secured to the tie, said means also being constructed and arranged to compensate for difi'erences in width or position of the base of the rail on the tie.

With these objects in view the invention consists in the construction and arrangement of parts a preferred embodiment of which is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which-- 4 Figure '1 is a fragmentary plan view showing the tie and two different methods of securing the rails thereto. Fig. 2 is a section transverse of the tie on the line 2-2 Fig. 1; F ig.'3 is a transverse sectional view through the rail and clip; and Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the movable clip.

The device comprises a metal tie 1 which may be substantially of an desired form, but as here shown, is preferably in the shape of a channel iron having depending flanges 2adapted to grip and be firmly held in the ballast of the track These ties have at their extremities the fixed clips 3 preferably struck up from the tie body and positioned to firmly grip the base 4* of the rail 4. The fixed clips or lugs 3 are preferably disposed at the outer sides of the rails so as to effectually prevent any spreading thereof and of course are spaced apart a distance determined by the gage of the track to be laid. In order to complete the securing of the rail to the tie, I provide a movable or adjustable clip of peculiar construction. This clip consists of a body portion 5 having preferably depending arms 5 which snugly embrace the sides of the tie and having inturned hook-like members 6 adapted to engage beneath the tie. Projecting laterally from the body portion is the rail engaging clip arm proper 6 which when the clip is secured in place the engagement with the rail occupies substantially the same position with respect to the base of the rail and opposite the fixed clip member 3. In order to cause this movable clip to securely engage the rail plate and also to be securely fastened with respect to the tie, a tongue 7 is out from the body of the movable clip member the outer end of which tongue is bent upwardly as at 8 to provide an in clined wedging surface 9. To cooperate with this tongue the tie is provided with an aperture 10 slightly elongated longitudinally of the tie so that it may invariably be engaged by the fastening tongue 9 irxespective of variations in the width of the rail base or the position of the rail base between the fixed clip 3 and seat aperture 10. In Fig. 3 the tongue 8 is shown in its securin position or the position it assumes after eing struck a sharp blow with a hammer to drive it home within the aperture 1.0. It is to be understood that when the clip is first engaged with the tie the shoulder 11 of the tongue lies substantially in the same plane as the under side of the body of the clip so that the clip may he slid longitudinally of the tie to bring its gripping arm 6 into engagement with the base of the rail, while at the same time the side arms 5 and inturned hooks 6 of the body of the clip snugly or slidably engage the sides and bottom of the tie. When the clip is brought substantially to rail gripping position, it will be understood that the shoulder 11 lies just above the tie aperture 10 with the inclined face 9 of the tongue extending somewhat beyond the outer edge of the aperture 10. Therefore when the tongue is given a sharp blow with a hammer this inclined tongue face 9 engages with the outer edge 12 of the aperture 10 and exerts a wedging action which forces the clip arm 6 firmly into engagement with the rail base and at the same time forces the rail base snugly into engagement with the inside fixed clip 3. Furthermore, this driving home of the wedging and securing tongue 8 simultaneously causes the inturned hooks 6 of the clip to firmly engage the bottom of the tie so that the clip is held in rail securing posi tion by the cooperative action of the tongue and the inturned hooks 6 frictionally engaging the tie and also by the positive abutting and wedging action of the tongue against the outer edge 12 of the tie aperture 10. In order to readily disengage this movable clip from the rail any suitable blunt instrument may be inserted beneath the inclined end ofthe tongue 8 and by a sharp blow disengaged from the aperture 10 whereupon the clip may be slid out of rail engaging position and the rail moved.

As shown at the right handside of Fig. 1, two movable clips may be used; these clips being duplicates in form and arFangement need not be separately described, but the description above given will sufiice for this obvious arrangement. It will be understood, however, that in securing the first of these duplicate clips on one.side-0f the rail, it may be done by holding the rail in any suitable way firmly to the tie temporarily until the first clip is fastened in position.

The second clip may then be applied as heretofore described.

IVhile I have herein described a particular embodiment of my invention, it is tobe understood that the same may be altered in details and in the relative arrangement of the parts within the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. In a rail fastener the combination with a metal tic having a fixed rail engaging clip, ofva movable rail engaging clip consisting of a body portion and having a rail engaging member and having tie engaging members, said tie having an aperture and the body member of said movable clip having a wedge member adapted to be driven into said aperture to cause said clip to firmly engage the tie and to cooperate with said fixed clip to clamp the rail to the tie.

eeann '2. In a rail fastener the combination with a tie having means to position the rail thereon and a movable rail clip comprising a body portion having a rail engaging member, and a tie engaging member, said tie having a shoulder adjacent said clip and said clip body having a wedging tongue adapted to be driven home to engage said shoulder to cause said cli to firmly engage said tie to firmly engage the rail thereto.

3. In a rail fastener, the combination with metal tie having a fixed rail engaging clip, of a movable rail clip comprising a body portion, having members adapted to embrace the sides and bottom of the ties, said tie having an aperture and said body portion having a wedging tongue adapted to be driven into said aperture to cause the wedge face of said tongue to engage one side of said aperture and drive said clip into rail engaging position in cooperation with said fixed clip.

' i. In a rail fastener, the combination with a metal tie having a fixed rail engaging clip and having an aperture spaced away from said clip, of a movable clip comprising a body portion having a rail base engaging member and having means for engaging the under side of the tie, of a wedging tongue struck up from said body portion and having an inclined face to engage the outer edge of said tie aperture whereby when said tongue is driven home into said aperture, said wedging face will cause said tie engaging means to firmly engage the tie and will cause said rail engaging member to cotipen ate with said fixed clip to firmly secure the rail to the tie.

In testimony whereof, I the said FRANK E. SPENCER have hereunto set my hand.

FRANK El srENoEn.

Witnesses:

ROBERT C. TO'ITEN, JOHN F. WILL. 

